Family win €1m in RTE lotto game show

TELEVISION

Conor Feehan
– 23 April 2015 02:30 PM

A family from Kildare hasscooped €1m in the National Lottery's new TV game show hosted by ex-Westlife crooner Nicky Byrne (inset below).

Martin Burke, from Naas, Co Kildare, won the top prize at the pre-recorded Million Euro Challenge show yesterday and will be seen by the nation collecting his massive cheque when it airs on TV this Saturday night.

It is the biggest prize ever handed out on a TV show in Ireland.

"The family gradually got to the top of the pyramid and netted the jackpot," said one onlooker.

"Then they just went ecstatic. They were hugging and kissing each other, some were even crying tears of joy," they added.

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Insiders say that the family left later to celebrate at a Dublin hotel with around a dozen relatives. "The other players could only watch in amazement," said the onlooker.

The show, which controversially replaced the popular Winning Streak in January, was recorded in front of an audience of around 50 relatives of the three contestants taking part.

It was initially criticised as being too complicated and giving away small prizes.

But this week's win will boost the profile of the show, which has already handed out several prizes in excess of €100,000.